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Seiso Academy
Seiso Academy (星奏学院, Seisō Gakuin) is a prominent location in the Kiniro no Corda series, serving as the main setting for the majority of its continuity. The protagonists often enroll to Seiso for their high school education. Originally, the fictional facility did not have a real world location for itself until the third title. If it did exist, it would be in the same city as Koei's main company building. Seiso is roughly translated as "stars that play", literally referring to the astronomical objects performing music. Role in Games Approximately one hundred years ago, a musician fled from Japan's political propaganda to live in Europe. Whilst there, he hoped to give refugees hope through his classical music performances. One day, he happened to see a weakened Lili suffering from a witch's curse. The musician helped Lili overcome his ailment by playing his violin. The fata was grateful to his savior, taking an instant liking to him. When the wars ended, Western culture was gradually being accepted into Japanese society. Hoping to be a part of the integration, the musician returned to Japan and sought to establish an academy in which everyone could learn and experience the joy of music. Lili followed him and promised his savior to always bless the school with his magic. The musician expressed his thanks by creating a statue dedicated to his "invisible friend" once the school was built. The fata remembers his promise to this day, fondly calling the man "The Founder" (ソーリツシゃ). Each year in the spring, Seiso holds a private concour. Any student from any curriculum can enter and play a single song for the concour's four selections (stages). Lili is often the one in charge of selecting the contestants, choosing anyone who fits his whimsical preferences. Since the people he chooses are often talented, the concours have a reputation of only hosting the school's brightest candidates for a promising music career. Contestants can play any instrument for their performance for the entire student body in the school's auditorium, and are judged with the same standards as professional soloists. While the atmosphere appears tense, concours are public events that are meant to be enjoyed in the same manner as a cultural festival or a school play. Seiso may be famed for its musical education, but it still sponsors sports and other extracurricular activities commonly seen in other high schools. Approximately 250 high school students are in attendance each year. Seiso's college campuses are located at a different vicinity than the high school and have not yet been shown in the series. An off campus training camp and off campus student dorms called Rinden Hall (リンデンホール, archaically named 菩提樹寮 or Bōdai Jyuryō) are available for the music ed students. Both facilities provide individual rooms, a lounge area, and a kitchen for those staying. Students are free to mingle as they please in the training camp, but Rinden Hall has a strict rule to keep the sexes separate. General ed and musical ed students have separate uniforms. The ties or stripes on the high school's uniforms distinguishes the year each student is in their educational level. Here are the colors' meanings in either continuity. ;Corda ~ Corda 2 :1st year = blue :2nd year = red :3rd year = black ;Corda 3 ~ Corda 4 :1st year = red :2nd year = black :3rd year = blue Rumors and Urban Legends The Founder chose to offer dual curriculum to follow with his vision for the school. Over time, however, students from both sides of the curriculum distanced themselves and began to discriminate. Musical curriculum students considered themselves Seiso's prized stars and thought general education was unneeded. General education students were sickened by the musical ed's attitude and began to despise classical music. Lili feared the student body would soon tear themselves apart. He wanted the students to remember their love for music and therefore chose a general ed student to play in the private concour. Changed by her performances and her heartfelt devotion to her violin, the student body gradually put aside their differences. Students from either curriculum continue to coexist in friendship and harmony eight years later. Twenty five years before the first title, two violinists participated in the private concour. Both were passionate in their performances and rivalry for one another. During the competition, however, the violinists' feelings changed to infatuation for one another yet, due to their different backgrounds and conflicting personalities, neither had the courage to confess their change of heart. Lili enjoyed the richness in their performances and wanted to offer his support. The fata gave the male violinist Salut d'amour to practice. When it seemed that circumstances would pull the person of his affections away from him after the concour, the male violinist played the song whilst thinking of her. Lili used his magic so that his playing would reach the female violinist, and she came rushing to the male violinist's side at once. She was able to understand his feelings for her through his performance, leading to both sharing their love for one another. The story of their experience became dubbed "Violin Romance" (ヴァイオリン・ロマンス), a popular topic with the girls attending Seiso. Girls specifically believe that two of the contestants in the private concour are fated to someday become lovers. For one reason or another, cats love wandering into the school's private forest area, and students often find themselves enjoying their lunches with a feline companion. The cats seldom cause problems so students believe they bring good luck to the school. A rumor states that there is a cat god who lives near Seiso and grants his blessings to those playing music. Gallery Seiso-emblem.png|Emblem Seiso-dorms-corda3.jpg|Rinden Hall __NOWYSIWYG__ Category: Neoromance Glossary